Newbie - Leaks and dry mouth

Hi All,

I just got my machine and mask and was only able to use it for about 2.5 hours last night. My pressure is set to 12.

I was having issues with my Quattro Air FFM. I sleep on my side and occasionally back. I also move a lot at night. I had issues with the mask leaking air around my nose and blowing into my eyes. I have followed RESMEDs instructional video on how to fit the mask and have not had success with the air leaks. This seems more frequent when I am on my side. My machine says I had large leaks 47%.

I also had issues with my mouth being very dry. I tried the heated humidifier at 3 and then upped it to 5. Could the dry mouth be caused be the mask leaking? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Hello, and welcome! The dry mouth could be caused by leaking, or just by the fact that the FFM allows you to breathe with your mouth open, that can be a huge plus. But, it can also help lead to dry mouth.

CPAP therapy can take some tweaking and it is great that you have found this forum. I personally have never been able to use a FFM successfully, I have never found one that fit me correctly without leaks. I have tried several, although not every one on the market. I started out with a nasal pillows mask and now I use a nasal mask, and I use a chinstrap to keep my jaw up/mouth closed. I would love to ditch the chinstrap but so far, I have not been able to.

I am sure others will chime in here also. There is a lot of knowledge on this list.

Good luck!
Jill

Congratulations on using the machine for 2.5 hours your first night!! It will get better. You're doing exactly the right thing by focusing on mask issues at this point. Some people are able to resolve those quickly without changing masks, while others need to try several masks before finding the right one.

Nick's right - the devil is in the mask.

It's appearing common that more FFM are "prescribed" than any other type to new visitors here and I'm not sure that's the best option.

"Mouth breathing" is a rarer phenomenon than having a stuffy nose. If you can breather through your nose 100% for a few minuted during the day or laying down you may NOT be a mouth breather.

More experienced users that try multiple mouthy typos tend to show up a nasal pillow users, especially if they side sleep. The masks are smaller and clearly more stable from side forces.

If you get a chance to try a ResMed P10, I'd strongly recommend you do.

Best of luck, prepare to be amazed as you get this under control - just don't be surprised if it takes a few weeks.

I started cpap in February 2014 with Quattro Air, and had the same difficulty you are having now. Like you, I found this forum. Someone mentioned mask liners; I thought "mask liners? Didn't know there was such a thing." Once I started using liners, the leak problem was pretty much solved, and that was a game changer for me!

The liners don't prevent all leaks but they do diffuse and quiet them so that I sleep through them. Most nights now, I don't even have large leaks, but when they do, they don't wake me and that is key to this therapy. Usually the only way I know I had large leaks is by reviewing my sleepyhead stats. Karen at Pad-A-Cheek is member of this forum and makes nice ones, go here: http://www.padacheek.com. Another liner you could try is RemZzzs .. available from most DMEs or online at https://www.cpap.com. I tried both, and liked the RemZzzs best, and that is what I use every night.

For the dry mouth, since my mask connector is directly opposite my mouth, I found a large double-walled mug with a handle, cover and straw. I keep it on a small stool several feet from my bed, and if I wake in the night needing water, I can pop the connector out of the mask, and use the straw to wet my whistle without taking the mask off. If your mouth doesn't line up with that connector, a flexible straw should work. This doesn't work for everyone because the connectors may not pop off as easily, but with your Quattro Air, you can make that work. These days I don't notice the dry mouth as much, to the point that I often forget to put the "water jug" by the bed. I don't know if that's because I've gotten used to it, or if I've learned to keep my mouth closed.

Do you have a partner in the bed with you? I use a Resmed Quattro FFM and I find that I can't adjust my mask right if I'm sitting up; I need my wife to adjust the straps as I'm laying down. You would think that tighter = better, but that's not always the case. And sometimes you just can't get a good seal. I've been using my CPAP for over two years, and maybe twice a month I'm just fighting with the thing all night. Sometimes the mask just doesn't want to cooperate.

Thanks for all the useful information. I met with my RT and she had me try the Amara Gel. I used it for most of the night and only had to adjust it once. The dry mouth was much better. My AHI was down to 1.9 and there was 0% Large Leaks. Hopefully this continues to be the case.

I did notice on my machine that sometimes the display will show the number 1 with what looks like a little clock icon. Anyone know what that means?

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Flyin_Bryan wrote:Do you have a partner in the bed with you? I use a Resmed Quattro FFM and I find that I can't adjust my mask right if I'm sitting up; I need my wife to adjust the straps as I'm laying down. You would think that tighter = better, but that's not always the case. And sometimes you just can't get a good seal. I've been using my CPAP for over two years, and maybe twice a month I'm just fighting with the thing all night. Sometimes the mask just doesn't want to cooperate.

You need a mask liner. Check with padacheek.com...they have an anti leak strap and a mask liner for the Quattro